After The Battle

“O-one strike…!? And with enough power to wipe out a mountain range—”

Stella whispered, dazed, from beside me.

Fortunately, it seemed the demons hadn’t been caught in the crossfire. In the area where the Heroes had stood, the floor, walls, and ceiling had been completely gouged out. If my aim had been off by even a fraction, I would have erased the demons as well.

“To fire a top-tier flame spell like ‘Mega Fire’ without a chant—as expected of the Demon Lord.”

“Ah, actually, it’s a bit different.”

I scratched my cheek and corrected her.

“That wasn’t ‘Mega Fire.’ It was just ‘Fire’.”

I double-checked the description.

Fire: Lowest-tier flame magic. Low power but high activation speed.

…Yep, it definitely says “lowest-tier.” And even so, it had this much power. Being Level 4000+, far surpassing all previous Demon Lords, wasn’t just for show.

“What? E-eh? That was… ‘Fire’…? My Demon Lord, you must be joking…”

Even Stella, usually a cool beauty, couldn’t keep her composure; her eyes were wide with shock.

I hadn’t intended to kill the Heroes. I just wanted to drive them away. But—seeing that I was able to protect the demons who were being slaughtered before my eyes, I felt a sense of relief.

I felt no sympathy for the Heroes. Perhaps it was because Lyle’s betrayal had left me with a deep-seated distrust of humanity.

“My Demon Lord!”

“You saved us!”

The demon soldiers rushed toward me. They were a mix of humanoids, beasts, bird-types, undead, and dragons—all of them looking like monsters. Yet, I didn’t find them scary or eerie. Their faces were all filled with genuine gratitude toward me.

It felt as though my heart was being healed. My spirit, which had been frayed by Lyle’s betrayal and the barbaric acts of those Heroes just now… was now strangely warm.

Helping someone, becoming their strength, and being thanked for it—it really is a wonderful thing. The feelings I had when I first became a Hero came flooding back. I remembered clearly the ideals I had begun to forget.

Ironically, by becoming a Demon Lord, I might have regained my heart as a Hero.

After that, there were no more enemy attacks, and I was given a private room to rest. As soon as I lay down on the excessively large bed, drowsiness claimed me.

“A lot happened today…” I murmured somberly.

The final showdown with the Demon Lord Yurisha. The betrayal by Lyle, whom I had trusted. Dying once and being resurrected as the new Demon Lord. And then, fighting to protect demons from the Heroes.

“What should I do from here…?”

Living as a Demon Lord means becoming an enemy of humanity. For someone who was once a Hero, that’s not a path I can easily choose. But I couldn’t see myself abandoning the demons now, either. Other Heroes might attack. More slaughters like the one earlier might take place.

“To think such atrocities were being committed.”

I knew there were a fair number of Heroes with personality issues. However, among the Heroes I had fought alongside until now, none had fought in such a manner. Even if they sought glory or power, they maintained a minimum level of warrior’s etiquette on the battlefield. Perhaps it was just because I rarely had the chance to team up with Heroes other than Lyle.

But those guys were different. They mocked their enemies, made them suffer, and enjoyed it. Just remembering it made me sick to my stomach. I wondered if there were other Heroes out there like them.

…While lost in these thoughts, I eventually fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was already morning. “Probably,” at least. Looking out the window, even though it should have been morning, it was pitch black as if it were night.

“Morning and night are almost indistinguishable…”

According to legends, the Demon Realm receives no sunlight at all. A world of darkness, shrouded in shadow. That is the Demon Realm. The fact that I could see the landscape clearly despite the darkness was likely an ability of the Demon Lord.

I got out of bed and left the room. My thoughts on what to do next weren’t organized at all. For now, I’d go out for some fresh air to clear my head and get a better grasp of the situation.

“It’s in tatters…”

I looked up at the castle. The Demon Castle, shaped like a massive tower, was nearly half-collapsed. Since Lyle and I had come through an underground tunnel, I wondered if the Heroes from yesterday were the ones who destroyed it—or if it had been others.

“There must have been many demon casualties too.”

…I surprised myself by thinking that instinctively. My perspective had completely shifted toward the demons.

“I’ll take a walk.”

My head felt foggy. Wanting to shake it off, I began walking around the perimeter of the castle.

…Twenty minutes later.

“I am completely lost.”

I scratched my head. The area outside the Demon Castle was simply too vast. While walking, I had lost track of where the original entrance was.

“I should have asked Stella to guide me…”

“Ah, my Demon Lord! Good morning—!”

A cheerful voice called out, and a demon girl came running over. It was the lively-looking girl with red hair in a ponytail, wearing simple leather armor. The exposed skin of her arms and thighs was strikingly white. …Despite my age, I felt a bit flustered.

“Ah, you’re the one from yesterday—”

The captain of the demon soldiers who had been fighting the Hero army.

“I am Rilim Balgamug! I serve as the captain of the Castle Guard!” Rilim gave a sharp salute.

“Ah, it’s the Demon Lord!”

“Good morning, my Demon Lord!”

The other soldiers gathered around as well.

“Is everyone okay? Are your wounds alright? I drove off the human army, so why don’t you rest for a while?”

In fact, some of the soldiers clearly hadn’t fully healed. I was getting worried.

“My Demon Lord, to show such pity even to those such as us…”

“What a generous King.”

“Our Demon Lord!”

“Our Demon Lord!”

Suddenly, they all started praising me in unison. No, no, wait a second. I just expressed concern for you guys. Isn’t this reaction a bit much…?

“Ugh, the new Demon Lord is such a good person… we don’t have to be treated as disposable pawns anymore…”

Rilim was actually tearing up. Had the previous Demon Lord treated the troops that poorly?

“Disposable pawns—huh.”

I murmured with a sigh. I, too, had died a pretty terrible death. Betrayed and killed by the man I considered a disciple—no, a son.

“…Hm?”

At that moment, a prickling sensation ran down my spine. Something is here. …I think.

I brought up my available spell list.

Homing Ray: A tracking magic bullet. Automatically pursues and attacks only those the caster recognizes as enemies.

I found one that seemed perfect.

“Homing Ray.”

I cast the spell. A white sphere of light flew from my hand, curved behind me, and—

BOOM!

It triggered a large explosion. When I turned around, a beast about five meters long was lying there. No, looking closer, it wasn’t a beast. It was a four-legged mechanical beast.

“An autonomous-type Miracle Armament.”

There are several types of Miracle Armaments. There are “Weapon-types” used as tools, and “Equip-types” that fuse with the owner to grant power. This “Autonomous-type” follows the owner’s orders and acts with its own will. Since it shouldn’t be able to handle complex orders, it was likely given a simple command like “Kill any demon you find.”

“Was it left behind by the Heroes from before…? Or is there a new group?”

Either way, if left alone, it might regenerate. Just to be safe, I fired a ‘Fire’ spell and completely erased it.

“Is anyone hurt?” I asked, looking around.

“We’re fine!”

“Because our Demon Lord protected us!”

The soldiers shouted energetically. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“This swift response, and a generous heart that doesn’t forget to care for us… truly, as expected of our Demon Lord! Sasu-Mao!” (Short for As Expected of Lord)

“Sasu-Mao! Sasu-Mao!”

“Sasu-Mao! Sasu-Mao!”

The “Sasu-Mao” chant erupted instantly.

“O-oh… okay…”

It felt like I was being praised every time I did anything.

“There might be other autonomous Miracle Armaments around. I should probably sweep the area—”